fifth World Cup campaign
DOHA
Thirty-seven club trophies, seven Ballon D’Or awards and six European Golden Boots.
A Copa America title, an Olympic gold medal and a list of scoring and statistical records that may never be beaten.
Over the course of an 18-year career Lionel Messi has, with one obvious exception, won the lot. And won it again and again.
Today, the 35-year-old Argentina captain has the chance to fill the last remaining hole on his CV: a World Cup winners’ medal.
For Messi’s most ardent admirers, victory over France at Doha’s Lusail Stadium will settle the debate over where he ranks in the most exclusive inner sanctum of football’s pantheon.
Messi’s career achievements to date have already earned him the right to be mentioned in the same breath as Pele, Diego Maradona, Alfredo Di Stefano and Johan Cruyff.
Does a World Cup win on Sunday nudge him ahead of that exalted company? Some think it does. Others think he already stands alone.
